The Soul Theory
by Mewtation151
Summary: What if the bosses granted a piece of their souls to their conquerors? What would those soul fragments do? How would they be used? The one man who believed this could be true has left behind only a journal and sealed box. If found, it could unlock all the secrets of the bosses' nature. Will the finder use that knowledge for good, or for chaos? Only time can tell...
1. Prologue - Sealed and Bound

_"_ _It has been 37 days since my last discovery. I fear that the higher entities of this world do not wish for me to continue pursuing the truth of my works. This may well be my last entry; the dungeon master grows restless, drawing closer and closer to the surface with each passing moment. Slowly, but surely… it will be here."_ -Journal, Entry 192, Author Unknown.

 _"_ _The dungeon fell ten degrees in temperature this morning. The guardian has awoken, destroying even the smallest drop of gel to fall down the steps. Its master will be here soon. I have already survived far longer than I feel I was meant to. But I must continue my research. If what I am searching for truly exists, it may change the way adventurers think, feel, and desire. I could destroy lives, or I could preserve them. I am not sure which outcome is more probable. I must go; the dungeon minions are coming. I shall not give in."_ -Journal, Entry 206, Author Unknown

 _"_ _I've gone and done it now. My research is complete, my hypothesis confirmed. The dungeon master knows this, and is coming for me. I only have so long to live. I am writing down all I know about what I've found… what the souls of these entities may grant humans who wish to use their power. To the person reading this, I have left the book in a green box, sealed with wax and bound with an enchanted blue ribbon. It will only open if the enchantment detects that its holder is pure of heart. The box should be near the entrance door. There is a letter tucked under the ribbon. I ask that you bring that letter to my son, Andrew. He does not live far from this dungeon, but far enough to be safe from its power. Let him know that his father died content with his achievement, and that his only regret was being unable to leave. Thank you."_ -Journal, Entry 241, Author Unknown

Hand shaking, the man put down his pen. He made it a point to never sign his own name in the journal. If he did, the person finding it would summon the wrath of the "higher entities" which the man had been studying. They still may, but they may have more time than had he done otherwise.

Taking a deep breath, the man starts writing as fast as he can. Just past halfway done, he hears an otherworldly roar. He's out of time.

The man makes a panicked note at the bottom of the page he's writing. _"IT'S HERE."_ He frantically grabs the box, places his notes inside, sealing them with wax and binding them with the blue ribbon. He sprints to the door, placing the box on a shelf within arm's reach. He leaps back to his journal, writing one last entry.

 _"_ _My time has come. Good luck to the person who reads this far. I hope it helped you in some way."_ -Journal, Entry 242, Author Unknown

The man sets his pen down, closes the book, and sits. He takes a deep breath, determined to go down with dignity. He stands back up, walks to the center of the room, and waits.

He doesn't have to wait long.


	2. Chapter One - Genesis

_Ow… my head… What the hell? Where am I?_ I open my eyes and look around. _This is not where I was when I fell asleep. I was in my bed, in my house, having just caught up on_ Fairy Tail _, not in some random grass patch in the middle of a forest. I do not like this._

I stand and get a lay of my surroundings. The trees form an almost perfect circle around the grass where I stand. Looking… _What direction is that? Where's the sun… if the sun is that way, then that way is either north or south…_ Looking that way is a tall white mountain. It's white from top to bottom, which would be normal, if it didn't look so close. It feels warm in the forest, not enough to be annoying, just enough to be pleasant. Unfortunately, that means I'll have to make or find shelter by nightfall if I want to survive. _Perfect, the mega-nerd has to build a livable shelter. Why not?_

Wait, the world is getting brighter. That means that it's morning. I look back at the sun, and review the mountain. South. The mountain is south. Now having a sense of direction based on a landmark and not a celestial body, my perception of which is constantly changing, I get a better sense of the visible world. To the east are more trees, two of them being cartoonishly tall, with a swath of paler leaves in between forests. Maybe a different kind of forest? A jungle? I may check later. To the west is a bunch of yellow; probably a desert of some sort. North… it's barely visible, even when I climb a tree to verify, but it's there. A small patch of purple at the tip of a hill, probably a good thirty miles away.

That one doesn't really make sense. I get that the world has some crazy things, but, unless I totally spaced in ecology, a purple biome does not exist naturally. I get chills just looking at it. The speck alone screams _EVIL_ at the top of its lungs. Er, hill. I'd rather not figure out what's on the other side.

Climbing down from the tree, I look in the clearing itself. Lying on the ground is a girl, probably about my age. She's asleep, otherwise I would ask her how much she knew about this area and how I can get home. However, she's probably in the same boat I am. Just past her, on the other side of the clearing, is a man with his back turned to us. He has fluffy caramel hair, and wears pale gray clothes. I jog over to him.

"Hey, dude! Pale gray clothes! What is this place?"

Either the man is deaf, or he doesn't care enough to answer me. I reach him and try to tap his shoulder, but my hand passes right through him. Confused, I look at my hand to see that it's become transparent. Upon inspection, my entirety is transparent, clothes and all. Alarmed, I look back to the clearing and see my frozen form mid-jog, as though time had stopped. _What was in that chicken I ate…?_

A humanoid but clearly inhuman figure takes form in front of me. It starts as black smoke on the floor, and swirls up into a silhouette with red eyes.

"Good morning, Ryan. I'd imagine you're very confused as to where you are. I will explain some, but the rest you will have to discover for yourself. You are not dreaming. You are not high, or drunk, or affected by any other perception-altering ailment. This is real. You are in a different world than your own, a world called Terraria. This specific continent is called Genesis. There are thousands of continents in the vast world of Terraria, but they are unreachable, and thus unimportant to you.

"We brought you and one other from your world here as an experiment. We specifically chose you two, as you are almost complete opposites in most regards. You will find your similarities in instinct and intelligence, as well as a few others here and there. We chose this way to have the greatest potential here.

"In this experiment, you are not safe. There is a real risk of death, for both of you. The odds would be stacked against you, if not for the minds and willpower you both possess. The girl is currently receiving a similar introduction to yours, in her sleeping state. You were meant to be asleep when we delivered this message to you, but you woke up early. This is unexpected, but not unwelcome.

"You need not know my name. When you wake from this trancelike state, you will be back in your body, and will forget some details of this conversation. You will remember from this what we allow you to. If you succeed in this experiment, and survive until the end, you will be given the option to return home, and to retain or forget the memories you make here. In your world, this world is considered a game. If you have knowledge of this world from playing that game, it will be suspended from your memory.

"As a welcoming gift, we will manually reset the day cycle to dawn. This will be the first and last time we interfere with the experiment. Once the trance ends, the girl will awake. Anything the two of you do from there will be of your own accord. Good luck, and may you find many treasures in your adventure."

My eyes snap open. Unable to completely stop my momentum, I stumble forward. I look around, still in the clearing. So, he wasn't lying…

I look at the sky, and sure enough, the sun is on the east horizon. At least now I have time. I look up and see the man with caramel hair still standing with his back turned. I open my mouth to call out to him, but am cut short by a feminine voice behind me.

"She said there was another one…"

I turn to see the girl awake and looking around, presumably for me. _Alright, I wasn't sure before, but now… This must be real._

She turns my direction, finally noticing me. I smile and wave, trying to be friendly. If we're stuck here together, naturally, we should work together. If we survive, we go home, but I know for sure that I won't survive alone.

"Hi. I'm Ryan, nice to meet you. Looks like we're stuck here… any idea what we should do first?"

She seems surprised at how accepting of the situation I am, but quickly shakes it off.

"Sierra, nice to meet you. Did we get the same welcoming?"

"Probably not, but I'd guess a similar one. My only question is, how are we expected to survive? We have no tools or starting resources, and no shelter for nightfall or harsh weather. If they didn't give us anything, we may as well already be dead."

"My… whatever 'they' are… told me that our arms are the key to survival."

 _What?_ "Our arms? How?"

"I don't know. She just said that they were."

I look at my arms, and see a bunch of different squares with pale silhouettes etched into them.

"WHAT IN THE—WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?!" I shout.

"Easy there, tiger. We were just visited by things probably equal to _gods._ I don't think sudden tattoos are what we should be surprised about." _Valid point, but still._

"I mean, yeah, but, like… what!?" She just sighs.

"Okay, so what do you think these are? Or are you too busy thinking about how your mom is going to freak out when she finds you got a tattoo?"

"Oh, lord, you're right, she's gonna freak—"

She walks up to me and slaps me across the cheek. "FOCUS! Remember, survival first, scolding and panic later, after we complete this thing."

"Right, right, sorry, it's a problem. So, let's look at these. The ones on my right arm have, from wrist to elbow, a hat, a coat, pants, and five… Q's? I don't know, they're circles with short tags branching off, but either way, that makes eight slots. There are also eight to the left of that, but the left column of clothing-based icons look fancier… Like vanity clothing, or something, while the right ones look like armor. Still no clue on what the bottom five slots are for."

"My right arm looks much the same as you describe it. Look closer at the other five; they appear to be made of chain. Perhaps it is for other items? The top three would only be large clothing, correct? What if the other five are for things like bracelets or scarves?"

"That's probably it, but I'm sure we'll find out eventually. The thing is, there's also another set of slots on the backside. Five slots. I don't have a damn clue what they're for. One looks like it has a pig face and another like a whip. Let's not theorize about those just yet." _Please don't let there be torture slots on my arm._

"Agreed."

"Okay, left arm. There are eight slots, four of which have letters behind them. CC, SC, GC, PC. Any ideas?"

"Perhaps they're for currency?"

"Why would we need currency? We're practically alone, and we need to work together to survive. Money should have no place in this, at least between us."

"It was merely an idea, as you asked," she defends herself, sounding much calmer than when she slapped me.

"And a fair one, just one that doesn't make sense right now. Anyways—"

"Wait a moment. You said 'practically', implying that there is someone else here. Who else?"

"Oh yeah, caramel hair over there hasn't said a word, or given any sign that he knows we exist, so I haven't bothered him yet."

"You mean to tell me… that you woke up first, had enough time to move around, and you saw someone already awake and relaxed in a place where you felt lost… and you didn't think to ask that person about the world?" I swear I saw her eye twitch. _Crap, she's getting mad, and I'm the only thing around here soft enough to be a punching bag…_

"Well… yeah, actually. I'm not sure I can trust him. I wasn't sure I could trust you, until you mention the introductions."

"That's fair, but still. What if he was placed here as a protector, or a guide of sorts?"

"Now that you're awake, would you like to talk to him?" I offer.

"Yes, I can do the talking if you would prefer."

"We can both talk."

She nods, and we walk towards the man. When we're just a few feet away, the man turns around.

"Oh! Hello there. I thought you would make more noise when you awoke."

"Who are you?" Sierra demands.

"My name is Andrew. I am your Guide." Sierra smirks at me, but says nothing. "In the world of Terraria, whenever the creators decide they wish to bring an adventurer to this world, a Guide is given to them. The other villagers may come later, given the proper circumstances."

"Woah, wait, _other villagers?_ You mean there are more people that will come?" I ask, surprised and a little excited.

"Yes, in fact there are many others. Far more than just me. Don't worry, they will only come under specific circumstances, and when there is a vacant home for them to occupy. My job as a Guide is to support you with knowledge of this world. I am bound by my role, so I can only help with things which you have already found. For example, you have discovered your inventory. I am now able to share with you how to use it."

"Inventory? Wait, the arm tattoos? That's… awesome. Yeah, can you do that?"

"With pleasure. On your right arm, there should be three columns of eight squares. The left column is for dyes. These are purely vanity items, but can have strategic use, such as camouflage. The center column is for vanity clothing and accessories. Once again, purely cosmetic, but can have uses outside of what the items alone are capable. The right column is for your armor and status accessories. These are items which can help you based on magical or practical properties. On the opposite side of your arm, there should be two columns of five. The left one is for dyes, the right one for side equipment. You can equip a pet, a light-pet, a mount, a minecart, and a grappling hook. Once you have found an item that can be used in any of those slots, I shall be able tell you how to equip and use them.

"On your left arm, there are two squares of four slots each. The one closer to your elbow is for coins. Copper, Silver, Gold, and Platinum coins, in ascending order of value. One hundred of the previous is worth one of the next, so one hundred copper coins is equal to one silver, one hundred silvers to one gold, etc. Coins can be used to purchase items from the other villagers." Sierra gives me another smug grin. _Lucky guess._

"The other square has arrow patterns. These are for ammunitions, such as arrows, bullets, and snowballs. If you should find anything that would fit in any slot, I shall be able to tell you how they are usable."

Sierra and I look at each other, amazed. She's also more than a little smug at having correctly guessed two things with which I struggled. _Let her have it._

I look at the sun. Less than an hour has passed, but every minute is precious. We know more, yes, but we still don't know what we need to.

"Do we have any kind of tool to start? There's no way we can survive if they don't at least give us something crude to cut trees or dig dirt."

"Yes, as a matter of fact, you do have some starting tools. Your inventory also spans more than just money, ammo, and clothing. Look at your wrists. There should be ten squares forming a bracelet shape on both. That is your toolbar. If you tap the back of your hand, a holo-transparent window shall appear, showing an additional five rows of ten squares. That is your inventory. Currently, there are three items in your inventory: a pickaxe, a shortsword, and an axe. Tap on one to quickly select it, or twist your wrists to scroll through your toolbar. It will appear in your hands as you imagine it would. Typically, this means as you would be comfortable holding it. You may wish to create better tools in the future, but for now, those should suffice."

As he speaks, we check our wrists and find what he says to be true; I take out my axe first, while Sierra takes out her sword. She starts practicing with it, getting used to its weight and attributes.

"Do we share an inventory?" I inquire.

"You do not. Each of your inventories is separate from the other's. Do you have any further questions?"

"For now, no."

"Very well." Andrew blinks, then shakes his head. "Ugh, I hate that. Why did I have to be a _Guide,_ of all things… Sorry, I'm being rude. What you just saw was me in Guide-mode. If you have a question about the world, or an item, or something like that, you can ask me. I'll switch into Guide mode, where I'm essentially an encyclopedia of this world. Otherwise, I'm just a guy who's halfway decent with a bow. I hope to become friends with you, Ryan, Sierra."

"Likewise, Andrew," I confirm, extending my hand. He shakes it, and turns to Sierra. She gives a nod of approval, and continues practicing with the sword.

Now that I kind of know what I'm doing, I look at the sun again. It's nearly an hour past dawn. I realize just how much time we've spent talking and thinking instead of acting. I select the axe, to find it's called a "Sharp Copper Axe". Curious, I turn to Andrew.

"Hey Andrew, hate to send you into Guide-mode, but what does the adjective mean on the item? Is that something that can change?"

Andrew blinks, his expression becoming formal. "Some items are capable of having special properties known as modifiers. These modifiers can change some stats on each tool. Your axe, which has the modifier 'Sharp', is better suited for combat than other Copper Axes would be, as it deals more damage. The ideal modifier for a tool is 'Light', which increases swinging speed while decreasing hit recoil and knockback."

"Is there any way to change the modifier on a tool or weapon?"

"There is, but it requires a specific villager to be present. That villager is the one able to change modifiers. I can say no more."

"…Huh. Cool. That's all."

Andrew blinks and shakes his head, returning to normal. "Don't feel bad for putting me in Guide-mode. It's my job to help you guys, and that dictates being in Guide-mode as often as necessary. I'm more than willing to do that."

I nod and go to cut down some trees. _We are_ not _living in dirt houses._ I check my other tools, and find that neither has a modifier. After cutting down the first tree, I realize that I have not the slightest idea how I'm going to carry back the wood. _Inventory, genius._ Right, how did Andrew say to use that? 'Tap the back of your hand'… Woah.

We get so much inventory space! I sincerely hope we can fit more than one of each item into a slot. Otherwise, I will have to make a lot of trips back and forth. I turn to the clearing, intending to ask Andrew how the inventory works, but see him helping Sierra, and stop. I'll let him help her for a bit, I've hogged him enough. Now, let's figure out how this thing works…

I pick up a piece of wood, finding it to be lighter than expected. I smash it into one of the holo-trans inventory spaces. It goes right through, hitting my arm. I wince in pain. _Good one._ I try punching it, flicking it, poking at it, and just generally toying with the piece of wood. Finally, I give up, standing to go ask Andrew. My first step is on a piece of wood, which promptly disappears under my foot. I trip and fall, twisting to land on my back. I look at my feet, and see that the wood is gone. Not moved, or crushed, just _gone._

I check my inventory, and right there at the bottom, is a sprite that looks a lot like a piece of wood. I tap it, and the wood appears in my hand. _So, you have to step on them…_

I get up, and tentatively step on another. It disappears, and I check my inventory. The slot with wood now has a little '2' in its bottom-right corner. _Oh, thank goodness items stack. Now, the question is, how much can wood stack?_

Two hours later, I have my answer. A lot. Wood can stack a _lot._ Meaning, I have over five hundred pieces in my inventory, and counting. I find my way back to the clearing and notice that it's slightly larger around, with a few stumps on the edge. Clearly, Sierra got to cutting some trees of her own.

She and Andrew sit in the middle of the field, talking. Andrew sounds like he's in Guide-mode. I decide to join them.

Sierra, upon hearing me approach, turns her head and smiles. _She can do that?_ She pats the grass next to her, telling me to sit.

"I was just asking Andrew some things about what we can expect. I mean, it looks to barely be noon. We have so much more time than we thought we did." I look up and see she's right; the sun is in the middle of the sky. "Also, this weird blob thing called a slime came by earlier. There was a green one, which I killed easily, and a blue one, which was a little more durable. They dropped this," she pauses to show me a handful of what appears to me gel, "and these." She takes out a couple silver coins.

"Nice! So, we have gel, coins, and a lot of wood. Anything else?"

"I did find these. Andrew said they have healing properties, and can be used to make healing potions, which are stronger." She takes out a dozen mushrooms, and gives me half.

"Did… did you eat one already? Or did you ask him first?"

"Those slime things hurt, and if the creators would put something toxic so obviously close to our point of origin, they would be contradicting their desire to see us survive."

"…So, you ate one."

"Yes."

"…You know, usually when someone finds a fungus in a foreign world, their first response is to avoid it like the plague."

She playfully punches me in the shoulder. "I suppose you're right. So, you said you collected some wood earlier. How much?"

"Five hundred twenty-eight."

"That much?! I only got ninety…"

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I'd likely slice off my own foot if I tried to use the sword."

"That… does make me feel better, actually." She laughs. Like, a genuine laugh. _Maybe this adventure won't be so bad after all…_

"Ahem."

We both turn to Andrew, now in normal mode again. "I look around and see no buildings yet slowly fading sunlight. I cannot build, but you two can, and you have over six hundred pieces of wood. If I were you, I'd start now."

Sierra and I look at each other, then back at Andrew.

"How?"

Andrew blinks, expression becoming formal again. "Tap your palm to open your crafting window. You can view what items are possible to craft from what you currently have in your inventory. If you are standing within ten feet of a recipe table, such as a workbench, you will see additional recipes. As your Guide, I would recommend building a workbench, and using the items from which you can craft to build a shelter."

I nod, having found the workbench and crafted one. _I need to rearrange my inventory, even if I only have five kinds of items and sixty slots._

"How can I arrange items within my inventory?"

"Press down on them and move your finger to drag them. Release to place. If you wish to equip an item to your clothing or equipment tabs on your right arm, flick the item to do it easily."

"Okay, how do I place an item?"

"You… put it down. Just as you would with anything else." _Want to ask him how to breathe next?_

"That's all." Andrew returns to normal.

I place my workbench, viewing all the new recipes. _Wooden armor? That seems inefficient… Let's see… tables, chairs, doors, walls, platforms… this workbench is awesome!_

I craft a couple furniture items and some walls, and get to work. Sierra sits off to the side, watching me. She offers to help twice, but each time I decline. Politely, of course; I still don't know how to use that sword she spent all morning getting used to, nor do I have armor.

About ten minutes in, I realize that what I've built has virtually no structural integrity. It's not sealed together with anything, nor is it being supported. It's just four one-square-foot corner pillars connected at the top, forming a twenty-five by twenty-five-foot square. The ceiling will be ten feet above ground, giving us room to jump without bashing our heads in.

The problem is, this shouldn't be standing. There is not enough support for the weight. And yet, the connecting beams don't even bend. Curious, I decide to test something.

I take out my axe and swing it at the base of each pillar, taking out the bottom foot of each one. After I'm done, I back up, and see that the entire structure is just… floating. _Why am I even surprised… this world is weird, I should be used to crap like this… don't freak out, this is normal… so are slimes, and magic tattoos, and deities making a nerd to manual labor… sure._

"Okay, I give up, this entire world is on drugs. Slimes are considered normal and drop money, stepping on stuff puts it in your inventory, which is a magical storage vault based on tattoos that only deities can grant, a mountain made of snow can be _that_ close and have no effect over this area's climate, the grass can be purple, and houses can float. WHOSE IDEA WAS THIS PLACE?!"

I drop my axe and fall on my back, screaming at the sky. I lay there for a couple minutes, wondering why we're even here. _Because deities can do whatever the hell they want, that's why._ Excellent point by me.

I sit back up to see Sierra and Andrew giving me weird looks.

"Sorry. Just needed to get that out, because seriously, _why?_ I'll get back to building."

I finish the walls and realize I didn't make a door, and that I am now stuck inside a roofless box which I spent the last hour constructing.

"Uh, guys? I have made a terrible mistake. Any ideas?"

I can just _hear_ Andrew going into Guide-mode. "Jump. Your physical abilities have been enhanced to give you a slightly increased chance of survival here. You can jump out, but only barely. Otherwise, you'd have collapsed from exhaustion hours ago. You haven't eaten today, nor do you need to eat to function. You don't need to drink, either, for that matter."

I shake my head. "Of course, right, because this world isn't crazy enough." I mutter to myself. I crouch down and jump hard. I clear the wall by about two feet and land outside, totally fine. I look up at the sun and realize it's close to dusk. It may well only be an hour or two away. When I land, Sierra is nowhere to be seen.

"Where did Sierra go?"

"She said she was going to dig a hole. She went east, not sure how far."

I nod, heading to the workbench to make a hammer. Hammers are better suited to modifying walls, as an axe would just destroy them. I take out the center wall, making a six-foot hole from the ground up. Just big enough for a door. I craft one and place it, then test it to make sure it works. It does, and I go inside to apply the roof. About halfway done, a though occurs. _Light._ What would work for a light source?

"Hey, Andrew?"

"'Sup?"

"How would I make a light source that won't burn the house down?"

A pause as he shifts to Guide-mode. "Craft torches with gel and wood. The gel makes a flame different to wood-based flame, but needs the wood as a reactant. The wood itself will remain uncharred. This also allows one to reignite a torch even when it is wet."

"Thanks, that's all." I craft some torches, finding that one wood plus one gel equals three torches… three? Odd. I make nine, putting one in the center of each wall and one in each corner, with one leftover to hold the spot. Perhaps the best part about torches is that they don't require a workbench to create. The house being sufficiently lit, I finish the roof, leaving a hatch in the ceiling in case we want to get on the roof.

I exit the house to get an outside view, and hear Sierra coming back. I turn to look, and she's covered in sand, full-on sprinting back.

"Sierra? What's wrong?" I call out, on guard and concerned.

"GIANT DEMON ANT RUN AWAY!"

 _Naturally._ "You have a sword! Kill it!"

"You think I didn't try?!"

As she gets closer, I see the dust cloud behind her, and make out an orange antlike creature. _Well, it's giant, and looks like an ant. Not sure how it's a demon though._

I select my sword, summoning it to my right hand. On the hilt is a description. " _A stabbing weapon. You should make something better as soon as you can._ " Great.

Then, an idea pops into my head. "Sierra! Can you kite it?"

"What the hell would paper tied to string do in this situation that could be helpful?!"

"No, not—I meant the maneuver, not the toy! Kiting is when you draw the attention of something or things hostile but stay out of their reach. Can you do that in circles around the house? I have an idea!"

"Oh, good, I thought you had lost your mind. If it helps, yes, I can do that. What do you have planned?"

I just grin and dash inside. "Oh, you son of a—" I don't hear her finish, but I can guess what she said. I leap to the workbench, scrolling through the crafting window. There! Wooden Sword. I make two, one having the Heavy modifier. Heavy is the opposite of light, so… slower speed, but higher recoil and knockback? _I hope this works._ I replace my copper sword with the wooden one, taking the copper sword off the toolbar. I grab Sierra's and jump through the ceiling hatch.

"Sierra! You're still using the copper sword, right?"

"Yeah, it doesn't do a whole lot!"

"On your next pass, you'll find a gift on the floor in front of the door!"

She responds, but it's drowned out by the ant-thing roaring. I wait for her to pass the door, then drop her sword on the ground. The ant walks on it, but the sword is visibly unaffected. I run to the opposite side and jump down, landing right between Sierra and the ant, and swing. Hard. The hit connects with the ant's face, sending it sliding a few feet, and stopping its momentum.

"Wooden swords. Who knew wood would fare better than a metal?"

I face the ant, who's redirected their attention solely to me. _You wanna dance, ant? Let's dance._

The thing charges at me, gaining speed despite the fast start. I dodge left, and it barrels into the house wall. Surprisingly, the wall takes no visible damage. _I can use this._

"Come inside, I'll catch you up on what we've done." That's Andrew's normal voice, so Sierra's inside with Andrew. This is fine. _Keep telling yourself that._

I run around to the front of the house, ant giving chase. When I turn the corner, I flatten myself along the wall. The ant charges past, and I leap onto its back. I hear the hatch open, and see Sierra standing on the roof, watching me. I look forward and see the ant charging toward a tree. _It may not care, and neither will the tree, but I do not want to feel that._ I jump off, rolling as I land. The ant turns around, and charges again. I wait to time it right, then wedge my sword in the ground, blade sticking out, and roll left. I loud screech and squishing sound tells me it works. I take the copper sword back out and start wailing on its head. It tries to get up, but it's pinned down by the Heavy sword. On the final swing, the ant gives one last cry, and dissipates into smoke, carried away on the wind. In its place, I find my sword still intact, along with its mandibles and seven silver coins. I retrieve the sword and step on the other things, not wanting to sort them right now, before heading back to the house.

I walk inside, and Sierra tackles me in a hug.

"You idiot! I thought you were going to die! Don't you ever scare me like that again, okay?"

I hug her back. "I told you I had an idea. What I didn't tell you is that my ideas tend to be stupid. But, hey, I'm still alive, aren't I? Plus, we have a shelter. Hey, Andrew, does this building qualify as a house?"

Pause for Guide-mode. "No. It is missing a table, a chair, and a bed. Otherwise, yes."

"That's easily fixable." I place down one of the tables I crafted earlier, and put three chairs around it. I look for a bed… but never find it. "How does one make a bed?"

"I am not allowed to tell you how to make an item unless presented with one of its components. I can say what an item is used in, but not what is used in it."

"Wood is probably in beds, right? What can wood be used to create?"

"I must be holding the item." I hand him a piece of wood. "Tap your palm." I tap it, bringing up the crafting window.

"This is my normal—"

He taps my palm with the wood, and the layout changes. Almost everything that was there is still there, but with a lot more options, even things that require a recipe station.

"Find the item you wish to learn of, and tap it to see the recipe. If it cannot be found, the item you have given me is not a component. The station required, if any, will also be listed." I scan through the items, finally finding the one that resembles a bed. It needs a sawmill, and… cloth? I think that's what that is. I tap the item, and the nametag pops up, reading "Silk".

"We need a sawmill, and we need silk, which is made from spider string, so until we get some cobwebs or something, we can't make beds. We'll just have to use the chairs…"

"I have cobwebs."

I turn to look at Sierra, who's holding a bundle of web. "I got some when I went exploring. I found a cave, and these were fairly near the surface. There were a lot, too."

"How many?"

"One hundred fifty-six."

"That's… a lot. Spiders must be unnervingly common underground. Anyways, can you make silk at the workbench?"

She walks over to it and opens her crafting menu. "Nope, silk isn't here."

She tosses Andrew a cobweb. "What can I make with this?" They repeat the process he did with me to show me recipes, finding that silk requires a loom to be made. Looms can only be made at sawmills, and sawmills can't be crafted. At least, not with the materials we have.

"Well, that just means we have to go find a sawmill. We can't do that tonight, though; it's dusk already, there's no way we make it home in time, even if we start now. We'll have to do it tomorrow." I sigh. _Man, a bed would feel great right now._

"Where would we find a sawmill, Andrew?" Sierra inquires.

"Sawmills, among other recipe tables, can be found in underground houses. The house structures are almost always made of wood, with some areas and biomes changing the material."

 _There's something off with that answer…_

"Wait, you said 'almost always'. That implies that they can be made of other material without unique area interference. You also said they can be found in houses underground, yet both are manmade things, and we are the first humans here with even decent building capability. Andrew… these continents of Terraria… they're not natural, are they? They're just playgrounds for the creators.

"I cannot answer that question."

"Because you don't know, or because you're not allowed?

"I am not allowed to answer that question."

"Right… That's all."

I pull Sierra off to the side. "Okay, I know they're basically gods, but that's not okay to be constantly ripping people from their lives and throwing them into this vicious world. I did nothing risky all day and almost died when an ant came here, and we'll have to do risky things to progress here. Maybe, if we succeed, they'll stop bringing people, but in the off chance that's not their plan, I'm going to make it a personal goal to be strong enough to challenge them. If that time comes, will you help me?" I request, fully realizing the insanity of my words.

"…You're crazy. You just said you want to challenge _gods_ , when an oversized _ant_ almost killed us both today." She pauses. "Even more, however, you're crazy if you think I'll let you do that alone. I will stand by you when you challenge the gods, you have my word."

I smile. "Thank you. Now, let's get to sleep. We have a long day of caving ahead of us, we'll need to be at our best."

"But we don't have beds," she objects.

"We have tables and chairs, that'll have to do for tonight." I place a couple extra of each. Andrew sits in a chair and puts his head down. I climb on a table and curl up into a ball, intending to sleep. I close my eyes.

"As your Guide, I think you're insanely stupid to go against the creators." Andrew whispers so only I can hear. "As your friend, however… still insane, but I'll go with you every step of the way. I promise on my knowledge as a Guide."

I smile, and whisper one last thing as sleep takes me.

"Thank you."


	3. Chapter Two - Cactus Age

**Squish.**

 _What was that…?_

 **Squish.**

 _Stop, I am sleep…_

 **Squish.**

"I said stop!" I snap upright, swinging drowsily. _Where is that coming from?_

I look around and remember where I am. I wince, hoping I didn't wake Andrew or Sierra. They both appear to still be asleep. I breathe a sigh of relief and hop off the table, trying to be as quiet as possible. I open the door and step outside, determined to find the source of the squishing.

Closing the door behind me, I can tell the squishing is definitely louder out here. _Not that there was much it could have been inside._ I draw my sword.

Despite how loud it is, I can't pinpoint the sound. _It's almost like it's… above me._

The sound stops for a moment, and a shadow passes over me on the ground. I roll left preparing to fight whatever just jumped off our roof. When I get up, I stop, slightly confused.

 _What is this thing?_

It's a small green blob of… stuff. Slime, maybe? _Right, Sierra said she fought some of these. They don't look so dangerous, though…_

I retract my sword, watching the little creature. It shakes a little, then jumps hard, sailing over my head a good ten feet. It then hops around a couple times, then does another hard jump toward me, going just as far as before. It continues that pattern, focusing on trying to touch me. _It's hostile, but appears harmless. I wonder…_

Now, usually if you want to test something's harmful capabilities, you get a dummy or something to use as a test object. But, that's not as fun. Plus, we don't have material for that right now.

I reach out to touch the slime, and it stops hopping, yet doesn't wiggle.

 _How do you see? You clearly know where I am, but you have no eyes… Do you sense my heat signal? Or maybe you operate on sound? You don't have ears, though… or any organs, for that matter… What are you?_

Upon contact, my hand starts to burn, like I just touched something heavily acidic. I recoil reflexively, trying to separate myself from the slime, hissing in pain. The slime, however, has a different idea. _How do you think?! YOU HAVE NO BRAIN!_

The slime starts crawling up my arm, slowly burning me as it progresses. I reach my other hand back to punch it, then decide that one burning arm is bad enough. I summon my sword and stab the little demon creature three times, killing it with the third. It dissolves into smoke, leaving behind a bunch of copper coins. Counting them out, I get thirty-seven.

I also pick up two blobs of Gel. I put them in the bottom-right corner of my inventory.

Oddly enough, my left arm is no longer burning. It still hurts, but not in the same way. I grit my teeth and head back inside. _This world is made of deception and illogicality._

I close the door as gently as possible, not wanting to wake the others. _Well, I'm not getting back to sleep now, especially not with a burning arm. I'm gonna need to bandage this…_

I recall the mushrooms that Sierra gave me. _Don't they have healing properties?_ I select one from my toolbar and eat it, instantly feeling better. I look at my arm, seeing only a pink hue hinting at a burn, nothing more. _Well, would ya look at that? And this is the weakest healing item there is…_

I stretch and yawn, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, and shake my head to make myself more alert. Cracking my neck, I head back outside to work.

 _Let's make a list of what needs to be done… The house could use some touch-ups, but that's low priority, as we would only do that to make it habitable for multiple villagers, whom we can't yet protect; we need a sawmill to make a loom, both of which we need for beds, which I will need if I want to have full function in my neck; we should build some type of defense for night creatures, for surely there are hostiles among the night, though we may be the only defense; and we need better equipment, like armor and stronger tools. Defenses and furnishing can wait, so I'll focus on finding a sawmill and armor material._

I look around, deciding against going to the snow and purple, since one is unknown and the other requires insulation in one form or another, which I do not have. The jungle probably has all sorts of unsavory bugs and critters with which I would rather not interact. That leaves the desert.

Taking a deep breath, I start heading west. I'm at the tree line when I hear the house door slam open behind me. I spin around, to see Sierra looking around in a panic.

"Ryan?! Where are you?" She cries.

"Over here!" I call back.

She turns my way, relief flooding over her face, replaced unnervingly swiftly with anger. She marches over to me, and I swallow nervously.

"What were you about to do?"

"Go to the desert and look for a cave, or dig a hole if that doesn't work."

She stares at me in disbelief, then slaps me.

"Are you stupid? That's what I did yesterday, and I brought back one of those demon-ant things! Do you really want to go to their homeland?"

I consider for a moment. "Yeah."

"I thought so. Now—wait, what?" She says, taken aback.

"I do want to go to their homeland. They came to ours and terrorized us, why shouldn't we do the same to them? Plus, that thing dropped its mandibles and some silver. It'd be like farming money."

"…You're insane. Completely, utterly, insane." She responds, dumbfounded.

"We were both thinking that yesterday, when I killed the ant. If that pattern follows, I like my odds."

"And if it doesn't?"

"I'll adapt."

"You're dead-set on this, aren't you?" She sighs.

"Very much so, yes."

"Well, then you leave me no choice. I'm coming with you."

"Great! I like these odds, we've got this."

She curses under her breath, not knowing I heard it. "Let me guess, you were hoping I'd stop and tell you to stay? This is the kind of stuff we'll have to do if we're going to survive. We'll be doing some really stupid stuff. If my track record is anything to go by, then we'll profit when we succeed."

" _If_ we succeed." She corrects.

"Nah, _when_ we succeed. I have faith we will."

I turn back toward the desert and start walking. Hearing only my own footsteps, I turn behind me and see Sierra wavering a bit.

"Come on. I'll need someone to make sure I'm not _too_ stupid, otherwise my odds will go down, and I'm not super fond of that idea."

She glances back at the house, then turns and follows me. I smile, turning back to the desert again.

Half an hour later, we're in the desert, not even close to tired. We don't even sweat, which is weird, but Andrew did kind of explain that we didn't need to eat or drink. If we don't need to drink, we can't sweat, or we would need to drink. Flawless logic.

As we get further into the desert, I notice more and more cacti growing, and an idea pops into my head.

"Hey, Sierra."

"Hm?"

"Do you think armor made of cactus is a thing?"

She raises her eyebrows at me. "What in the creators' names gave you that idea?"

"I haven't the slightest. But it could work. I mean, tons of other stuff in this world does. Why not cactus armor?"

She considers, then shrugs and makes a _meh_ noise.

I approach one about four feet tall, taking out my axe.

"What are you doing?"

"Grabbing some to take back to Andrew. I was serious about the cactus armor."

"Good lord you're insane."

"As I was when I—"

"Killed the demon ant, yes, I know. Just because it's been useful thus far doesn't mean I can't use it to express exasperation toward your actions."

I just grin and chop at the cactus. I get seven pieces back from the relatively small plant. _If I got seven from this little thing, how many would I get from those?_ I walk to the biggest cactus I see, about twice my height and thrice my size. I chop that one down and get a whopping fifty-nine pieces of cactus. I shake my head at my own antics, then continue chopping cacti. I end up with two hundred thirteen pieces in ten minutes. As I finish the last one, which was sat on a hill overlooking a cliff, I spot a hole in the ground not too far away.

"Sierra!" I call down.

"Please tell me you're done cutting down cacti; we should have just kept going."

"Yeah, I'm done—I also see a cave!"

That grabs her attention. "Really? Where?" She starts running up the hill to me.

"Well, it's more of a sinkhole, but it leads underground, so it's close enough."

Her eyes go wide when she gets close to me.

"Ryan." She sounds awed, but that could just as easily be fear. I'll bet on the former.

"Right? It's huge! The only problem is, how are we going to get down?"

"We're not." Okay, option number two.

"Why not? It's exactly what we're looking for: a giant cave so we can find a house with a sawmill. There's no conceivable reason—"

" _Look._ "

I squint at the pit, trying to see what she's referencing. It takes a moment, but I manage to identify a couple head-like shapes in the ground. A bigger shape walks around, and something flies out of the pit.

"Okay, so there are some monsters there, but hey, if we can handle the ant-thing, surely we can kill those."

"Look _closer_ , and say that again."

"Fine. We can kill—" The words catch in my throat.

The large shape walking around _is_ one of the ant-things. The flying one is apparently its cousin, having the same basic coloring, and the head-only things in the ground are just that—the ant-things, but with their heads being their only visible part. The rest of their bodies must be hidden under the ground where we can't hurt them.

"…Oh."

"Yeah, _now_ you see? If one of those things gave us so much trouble last time, how much more will it give us when it has allies?"

"Probably not enough."

She glares at me and smacks the back of my head.

"Yeah, I deserved that. So, what do you propose we do? Fight the ant-army or look for a cave elsewhere?"

"I say we look elsewhere. I don't want to be anywhere near those abominations right now, or ever, for that matter."

"Suit yourself." I say, bounding down the cliffside. Sierra shouts something behind me, but a sudden wind takes it away.

My feet hit the ground a little hard, and I stumble, but keep going forward. I break into a sprint, trying to get my speed up before the fighting starts.

The first one to notice me is a head in the ground. _Good, a warmup target._ It swivels on an axis that is probably not biologically sound, and screams at me, flexing its pincers. _How do pincers even flex, they're made of bone—FOCUS._

I snap back to reality in time to see a ball of something, presumably sand, flying at me. I try to cut it in half, but probably shouldn't have done so with a horizontal swipe. The two halves of the sandball hit me in the gut and the forehead, knocking me fully on my back. _So much for a warmup._

I raise my head to look at the spitter, only to see it looking almost straight up. I follow its gaze, then make some weird panic noise I didn't know I could make and roll over. I narrowly dodge the sandball that would have otherwise smashed my face into paste. _Oh, good, it's a mortar now._ I notice, however, that the ground where the ball hit is raised, and looks refined.

I stand back up, but almost as soon as I do, the spitting-mortar-ant swivels back to me and spits another sandball. I spin to my right and run at it, dodging as it spits. When it's finally within reach, it tried to wiggle its way underground, but a swift stab to the eye stops it from trying anything. It leaves behind two silver coins and its mandibles, and a very angry friend running at me.

 _Wait, what?_ I roll to my left, barely dodging the sprinting ant-demon. When I come back up, it's already running again. _Let's see if the same trick will work twice._

I wait until the last second, then brace my sword in the ground and lunge to the side. Sure enough, the ant impales itself on the sword. I take out my copper sword and raise it to strike, when it's snatched from my hand. I look up in shock at the flying ant, which now carries my copper sword. It picks up the sprinting ant and goes back down the hole. Fortunately, the wooden sword stays behind.

 _Well that sucks. There goes my one strategy for fighting the fast ones._ I pick up the wood sword and kill the remaining two spitters in much the same way I killed the first, and they drop the same things. Putting away my sword, I decide not to go in the pit, not wanting to face a literal army of ants, regardless of type. Even the spitters could be extremely dangerous if I have to fight tons of them.

Not even two steps into my retreat, a monumental buzzing echoes from the pit. _No thanks._ I start a full sprint back to Sierra, then realize that would lead all of these things to her if they see me, which, at this distance, they will. I turn, mind spinning. _Think, Ryan. How can you get yourself out of this alive?_ I sweep through my inventory, searching desperately for a solution.

 _Cactus._

Opening my crafting menu, I make a workbench, and view my options. Please, please, please let there be cactus armor…

 _There._

I pump my fist in the air in triumph. I make a full set of Cactus Armor, along with a Cactus Sword. _Two swords, I can do the thing with the sprinters. Fantastic._

I put on the armor and draw the sword. I feel as though I look ridiculous, but this small bit of defense may just save my life. _If only I had a shield._ I shift into a combat stance and brace myself for the swarm.

The swarm bursts from the hole like a geyser erupting, spewing out dozens at a time. _I should have listened to Sierra._ I take a deep breath, and charge.

Flying circles around me, they start dropping sprinters I didn't know they were carrying. Five hit the ground around me. Glancing upward, I see that nearly every swarmer is carrying a sprinter. Maybe some of those are spitters? It's hard to tell from my position, especially with the lack of light from the swarmers, well, swarming.

The sprinters all charge at once, so I jump to dodge. They crash into each other, looking very confused. I smirk. _Not very smart, are you?_

That smirk quickly turns into a grimace as I'm shot out of the air by a spitter. _Neither am I, apparently._ I land on my back, hard, but hastily regain my footing. _Let's try something insane, that tends to work._ I open my inventory and tap both swords at the same time.

Instantly, my cactus sword is in my left hand, and my wooden sword in my right. _Now we're talking business._ I brandish the swords, crouching low, waiting for one to charge. I jump as one sprints past me from behind, then cross my swords to block another sandball. I land gracefully, ready to do it again, until I look around, and realize that I've not yet so much as hit any enemies, yet I've been hit a couple times.

 _Walls._

Right, the ants can't destroy terrain, at least wooden terrain. I store the cactus sword away and pull out some wood. Fighting off sprinters, I build a small shell, in which I can barely fit while standing, and knock out the layer at arm height. I then crouch, stick the wooden sword through the hole, and spin.

Sure enough, it works. The sprinters that touch it are damaged just as much as they would have been otherwise. The spitters can't get through the roof of the shell, and the swarmers are none the better. _Thank you, floating impenetrable structures._

I wait for hours on end, until, finally, the ants give up and return to their pit. I peek through the hole to confirm, before popping out of it and running back to the cliff. Even at the top, I can't see Sierra in the low dusk light. _Please have gone back to Andrew and not have been attacked by the ants._

I trudge through the desert back to the forest, and to our home. I eat two mushrooms on the way, feeling a bit sick after each one, but undeniably healing from them.

When I make it to the clearing, I hear Sierra sobbing from inside the house. _Man, if I scared her before, I may be in for more than a just scolding this time…_

I quietly walk to the door and reach to open it, before realizing that they may not recognize me through my armor. I take the cactus helmet off, take a deep breath, and walk inside.

Sierra is hunched over the table where I slept, holding her arms across her body, with Andrew trying to comfort her by rubbing her back. I take off the rest of my armor.

Andrew glances over to me, then back to Sierra, then doubletakes back to me.

"Ryan?!"

Sierra's head bolts up and swings around to look at me. I give my usual stupid smile, trying to look as innocent as possible.

"'Sup."

Sierra leaps out of her chair and tackles me in a hug, forcing me to the ground. I laugh.

"What's with the sudden affection? Don't tell me you expected me to die out there, you know I'm too crazy for that."

"Shut up! That was terrifying and you know it!" She cries. Well, continues crying. I chuckle.

"Yeah, it was. Honestly, I wasn't sure I would make it. I admit, you were right, I should have stayed with you and looked somewhere else. I'm sorry." I apologize. _What? Being serious outside a fight? Someone get a reporter, this is legendary!_

"You should be."

I smile, a couple tears forming in my own eyes. _Don't cry, then she'll cry more, then you'll both be crying on the floor while Andrew awkwardly watches._ I blink the tears away and hug Sierra back. After a couple seconds, I stand.

"Glad to have you back, man." Andrew greets.

"Glad to be back, and not, you know, in the middle of an ant swarm." I joke.

Andrew grins wide, and gives me a hug too. "Dude, you damn near killed Sierra's emotions. She'll never admit it after today, but you did. Don't do something that extreme again, okay? For both of us; I was shell-shocked as well. We've only got the three of us, we can't afford to lose anyone." He whispers, so quietly that I can barely hear, so I know Sierra can't.

"Yeah, I got it. That _was_ really stupid."

"You don't say."

We part, laughing. I wince as the pain in my gut flares back up; two mushrooms and a long walk back home were not enough to heal my injuries. Both Sierra and Andrew notice.

"Oh, are you hurt?" She asks.

"A bit. Happens when you fight an army alone."

She shoots me a dirty look, but I can tell she's restraining a laugh. "Well, then, no more adventuring for you until you've healed."

"Yes, ma'am." I agree. I hop on the table and lie down, physically fine, but mentally drained. Though it may not be best to try to learn while one's brain feels like mush, I decide I'll try.

"Yo, Andrew."

"Yes?"

"What are those things called? I know their species name isn't 'giant demon ant thing', so what are they really called?" I inquire.

Guide-mode. "Antlions. The ones which stay in the ground and spit sandballs are Antlion Larvae. The fast ones, one of which you fought yesterday, are Antlion Chargers. The flying ones are Antlion Swarmers. They can spawn on any large body of sand, and spawn in impressively, albeit terrifyingly, massive quantities in and around their nests, which appear to be conical sinkholes in deserts. Only the Antlion Larvae can spawn outside of deserts."

"Huh. Good to know what they're called, so we have some way to differentiate that isn't a paragraph description. Okay, one more thing: what can we make with cactus?"

I hand him a cactus piece, and he brings up the recipes which involve cactus. It's mostly the same as wood, without all the tools and unique furniture. There are some furniture items that cactus can make, though: tables, chairs, dressers, all the basics. Just, nothing that can be used as a crafting station, save for a workbench. _I'm gonna make a house out of cactus, eventually._

"That's gonna be fun. Thanks, Andrew, that's all." Normal mode.

I flop down on the table, exhausted in spite of my near-inability to exhaust myself. _Maybe the desert wasn't such a great idea… Sure, cactus is great, but Antlions are its equal opposite. Desert is now mentally blocked off, that's no-man's-land now, as is the rest of this world… for now._

 _We still have no insulated clothing, so the tundra is also out of the question, which leaves foresty-jungle area versus purple-spotted hill. Both sound like_ I'd rather be home, _but the fact remains that we're doomed if we don't explore the land and learn what's really out there._

 _Purple spot gives me an uneasy feeling, like something truly terrifying is over there… but then, just based on jungles from home, there's all sorts of different dangers within jungles. Not even foliage is safe. Not to mention the supersized creatures. A sword, however, can kill a critter, no matter how large or small—a sword cannot kill fear. So, jungle it is._

I bring my elbow back, as though to get up, but force myself back down and follow Sierra's instruction to rest. _Tomorrow, then._ I fold my arms behind my head and close my eyes, intending to sleep. Andrew and Sierra shuffle around, presumably also to sleep. After a moment, I hear their breathing slow, reaching a sleeping pace. With almost perfect quiet, I soon follow them.

Sometime later, I'm awoken by a knock on the door. It's an instinctive thing, given my small apartment back home, but I get up nonetheless. I grab the handle and nearly open the door before remembering that villagers will only come when an available home is built, and that the other two would have just opened the door if they needed to leave. I equip my armor and draw the cactus sword.

I warily turn the handle, cracking the door open about an inch. A green-tinted arm forces the crack wider by swinging through, the force surprising. I hold steady, forcing the door to hold. _Can I stab it through the door?_ I try, but it doesn't work. _Damn._

Sighing, I place the cactus sword against the wall as a doorstop, to mute the noise, and draw my wooden sword. _One… two… three._ I let go of the door, jumping back. The door slams open, hitting the cactus sword and making a much quieter sound than it would have if it hit the wood, revealing a green humanoid figure in the door.

"Guuhhh…" the thing groans.

 _Please don't be what I think you are._

"Brahhhh…"

 _This world is crazy enough, just stop._

"Grishh…"

 _Great… I think I'm looking at a zombie._

 _A zombie that is very loud in a room with two sleeping people._

I brandish the wood sword and rush it, hitting it hard, and knocking it back out the door. Careful not to make any unnecessary noise, I reclaim the cactus sword, exit the house, and silently close the door.

"Man, and I promised her I wouldn't adventure… though, I'm not, really, if I don't leave the clearing." I mutter, grinning.

I turn back toward the zombie, watching it get back to its feet and shuffle at me slowly. Dual wielding once more, I unleash a whirlwind of strikes on it, yet it still lives. I cut off its leg at the knee, so it has to either hop or crawl, of which it does the latter, lacking the balance to hop. I back up and study it for a moment.

 _It didn't seem to react to anything… it likely doesn't feel pain. Good to know; I'd have tried to stun them if I were to fight a horde. Its head also hasn't stopped staring at me. It must have been trying to get me through the door when it got here._

I shrug and finish it off with a chop to its neck, severing the head. The pieces dissolve into smoke, leaving a pile of copper coins and a thin vial of yellow liquid. I step on the items and turn to head back inside, when I hear another groan behind me. I turn and see two more zombies, with slightly altered appearances, ambling at me and the house.

 _This is gonna be my whole night, isn't it?_

I shake off any remaining drowsiness, crouching in a combat stance. The zombies just… keep walking. I relax slightly, standing up and casually strolling over to one. When I get close, it swings its arm at me. I take a step back, staying just out of their reach. They don't seem to get faster, they just follow my path.

I slash them to dust, getting two more piles of copper coins, and… an… arm? _Why did it drop its arm? What use could I possibly find for_ that _?_

I stare at the arm in confusion, then opt to have Andrew explain it later. I step on the items and look around for more zombies. Seeing and hearing none, I turn to go back inside, but something hits that back of my head, knocking me to the ground. I spin around and scramble to my feet, but nothing's there. _Wait, what? Don't tell me I tripped on grass._ I look around for a moment, alert, yet still hear and see nothing. I cautiously turn to resume my walk, and almost lose the mushrooms I ate earlier.

Floating in front of me, slowly drawing closer, is an eyeball. That's it—no other normal parts. Just the eye. Which would be fine, albeit a bit gross, if it weren't the size of my head. Just from a glance, I can make out pulsing veins and dripping blood flailing from the back. Wait, no, those are tentacles. Tentacles on a floating eye, made from loose veins and bloody nerves. _What kind of sick, twisted creature, human or otherwise, designed this sort of thing?!_

It suddenly speeds up, apparently dashing at me, and I barely duck out of its path. I swing upward with the cactus sword, bouncing it into the air. The noise it made is just as disgusting as the rest of it: a squelching sound, like stepping on wet bread. _This is officially my least favorite monster. I'd rather fight a dozen Chargers before one of these again…_

The eye flies upward, turning at its apex and speeding back down to hit me again. I hold up the wooden sword, and it impales itself on the tip. It struggles to get off, but quickly withers and dies after a few slams on the ground. I flick my now-bloody sword, wiping it in the grass. I step on the copper coins the eye dropped, and collect something else I didn't see. Checking my inventory, I find a Lens. _That's… cool, but kind of disgusting. I'm not sure what that's gonna be used for, but hey, that's why we have a Guide._

I move to go back inside, then decide to stay up tonight. _I mean, if we don't need to eat or drink, we probably don't get tired either, right? I should be fine doing this. Hopefully. If not, live and learn._

I leap onto the roof of the house, landing as softly as possible. I walk around the perimeter of the building, scanning the terrain for nearby monsters. Through the course of the night, I fight about two dozen each floating eyeballs and zombies. Several variants came by, too: purple, yellow, green, and white eyeballs, plus a zombie covered in arrows, and one with a vacuum cleaner. The vacuum one actually swung the cleaner, which hurts. A lot. The arrow zombies dropped about seven arrows each, so that I now have thirty.

Come dawn, I have two gold coins and a lot more practice with my swords than I did when I challenged the Antlion army. I still couldn't hold a candle to them, but, hey, baby steps. I sit on the roof, exhilarated by the constant combat all night, not even sweating. _Enhanced physical abilities are awesome._

As I watch the sun rise, the world getting brighter, I hear movement inside. It sounds like a chair sliding along the floor, wild but controlled at the last moment, then quiet. Steps toward the door. _Andrew; Sierra sleeps on the table._

Andrew opens the door, closing it quickly and quietly. "Ryan!" He calls in a hushed tone.

"Yo. Up here." I call back. He spins, looking up, a surprised expression on his face. He puts his hand on his chest. "Oh, thank goodness you're still here. Sierra would have just about killed you had you left; then she'd have killed me for letting you."

"Yeah, but if she'd go for me first, you'd have time to get away." I laugh. Andrew smiles.

"Alright, ha-ha, you gave me my instance of worry. Come on down, or Sierra will attack you just for scaring her."

I hop off the roof, just as I hear Sierra wake up, in the form of a very angry call.

"RYAN! You'd better not have run off, you crazy little—" The door slams open, revealing a maniacal Sierra, hellbent on stopping me from doing whatever she thought I was doing. Upon seeing me, however, she instantly calms down.

"Oh. Good morning. How long have you been up?"

"Long enough to go to the Antlion nest and back."

Her face goes slack. "You're kidding."

"Nope. I've been awake all night. May as well have never slept."

She glares at me, her eye twitching. "You… went _back?_ "

"Hell no, I value life. I stayed here, killing zombies and floating eyeballs. Speaking of which, Andrew, got any info on those?" I turn my attention to Andrew, leaving Sierra confused and curious. _I mean, yeah, I would be too if she dropped that on me a minute after I woke up._

"Zombies. A common nighttime enemy, they tend to wander in groups of three to nine. Relative to most other monsters, Zombies are easy to kill. Some wield vacuums, which enables the Zombie to pick up items and money from a short distance.

"Demon Eyes. Also a common nighttime enemy, they are difficult to fight without a broadsword, as they are a flying enemy. They spawn in pairs, but rarely stay with their other half for more than a minute, unless their attention is drawn by something else." Guide-Andrew says.

"Okay, how about this Lens I got from one?" He shows me what I can craft. "Well, that's… unsettling. Two types of eyes, one of which requires a 'Demon Altar', a pair of goggles, an Archery potion, and an 'Optic Staff'. That's not a lot. Thanks, that's all," I dismiss.

"Hey, Sierra, you up for an adventure?"

"Well, if you're well enough to fight Zombies and Demon Eyes all night, fine. But not back to the desert."

"Again, no, I value life. There appears to be a jungle to the east, with two towering trees. What say you to climbing them to the top?"

"I say you're still insane and that I'll beat you to the top."

I grin. "Not if I get there first!" I break into a full sprint; I hear Sierra do the same behind me.

 _This is going to be a fun day._


End file.
